Unstoppable
by Michael2
Summary: The Enterprise intervenes when an asteroid station mining a cure for a deadly pandemic is threatened by a massive object traveling at warp speed
1. Chapter 1

_A.D. 2233, Gregorian Calendar_

The operator is nervous.

This is the most stressful task it ever experienced in its life. It has experience operating warp drives, even on board a spaceship.

But this jump into warp is unprecedented. And there is no room for any error.

"All systems go," says the operator.

"All other station sreport ready to go," says another operator.

The controller is nervous. Over a century of planning, preparation, and hard labor led to this. And this is their last chance. They made an attempt about three years ago, which killed dozens, caused major damage, and nearly destroyed them all. And there is no guarantee that this attempt will work.

But the alternative to trying is to lose all.

The controller puts on a helmet, with a wire connected to a communications console.

It hears that everyone is ready.

"Engage warp," it commands.

It looks at a huge monitor. It can see the warp field forming. The room shakes, as is expected. No warp field this big had ever been attempted, probably not anywhere in the galaxy for at least tens of thousands of years.

"We have entered Warp Factor One," says a technician.

The shaking gets more intense. And yet, they can not abort. Then technicians calls out energy readings, their thoughts intense.

And then, the shaking stops.

"We have a stable warp field," says an operator, though the controller already knows that.

"For now," says the controller.


	2. Chapter 2

The Federation starship _Enterprise_ continues its mission of exploration throughout the Milkyu Way galaxy, far from Federation space. Most of the time, the officers and crew survey stars, planets, and moons. Contrary to what many authors of fiction would write, the days on board the ship were usually mundane

But the monotony is occasionally broke, and sometimes in inconvenient times.

"We are receiving a transmission," says a petty officer on the communications console on the bridge. "Translator is trying to translate.

"On speaker, Petty Officer," replies Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu.

"This is Hope Station," says a high-pitched voice. "Giant thing warping to the system. Threat to us and our mission. We ask help."

"I'm glad we were able to pick that up," says the petty officer.

Sulu presses a button on the captain's chair. "Bridge to captain," says the lieutenant. "Sorry to wake you up, sir, but we picked up a distress transmission on subspace radio."

Oooooooo

Captain James T. Kirk sits in his chair on the bridge. He did not like waking up at night, but it was one of the costs of captaining a starship.

"There is the source of the transmissions," says Sulu.

The captain looks at the viewscreen. He sees an asteroid cluster, numbering about forty. The largest of the asteroids , a ball about one hundred kilometers wide, clearly has artificial structures. Two star ships are also nearby, apparently providing protection for the asteroid base.

Suddenly, an image appears. It is that of a reptiloid creature, with red scaly skin, two front eyes and two larger eyes on the side. It wears a white outfit. Kirk notices a second set of lower shoulders.

"This is Captain Kirk of the Federation starship _Enterprise_," he says. "what is going on?"

"This is Kasel, boss of Hope Station of Husnock Nation. Big thing warping to us. It will destroy us if it pass through."

"Do you need assistance with evacuation?" asks the captain.

"We need stay. Our people need big space rocks. We need to break or avoid big thing."

"Okay," says Kirk. "I need all senior staff to be awakened. All sensors are to look for something traveling at warp and passing through the system."

Minutes later, Dr. Carol Marcus is dressed in her blue science uniform. She looks at a console, watching the graphics.

"I see something coming inan Warp One," she says.

"What can you tell us?" asks Commander Spock, the first officer.

"it will reach the system in six days. But that is not all. Whatever is heading here is as big as, well…Earth."

"You're not kidding, are you?' asks Kirk.

"No," replies Marcus.

Kirk turns towards the viewscreen. "What's coming your way is as big as a planet," he says. "I strongly suggest you take measures to evacuate the station. In six days, that thing will be here."

"We can not go," says the reptiloid. "Big sickness on home world. Hundred of million die past. Leave now, hundred of million more get sick and die."

"We want to know more about the big sickness," says Kirk. "We may be able to help."

Oooooooooo

_Captain's Log. We had been on our way to survey the Delta Rana system when we received a distress call. A large, Earth-sized object traveling at Warp One was heading towards the system. According to Dr. Carol Marcus, it would scatter the asteroids away from their home star system. The staff of Hope station, calling themselves Husnock, refused to leave. Apparently, there was a plague on their home planet. Dr. Marcus and our chief medical officer, Dr. Leonard McCoy, beamed down to the station. _

Dr. Leonard McCoy and Dr. Carol Marcus walk through the corridor of Hope Station. It is brightly lit by lights embedded in the ceiling. Signs written in an unfamiliar language decorate the halls. The people here are reptiloids, with scaly skin, two legs, four arms, and four eyes. On average, they are a foot shorter than humans. Some dress in white, others dress in green. Their skin is red, and Mccoy makes note of the different shades of red.

The two of them enter what appears to be an office. It has a desk with various objects sitting on it.

"I am Kasel, boss lady of science of Hope Station of Husnock Nation," says the Husnock standing behind the desk.

"Dr. Leonard McCoy, Chief Medical Officer of the _U.S.S. Enterprise_.

"Dr. Carol Marcus, Science Officer," says Marcus. "How did this sickness start."

"Started with settlement on fourth planet of Foruimolon," replies the lead scientist.

"And where is that?' asks Marcus.

Kasel presses a button on a portable computer, and a hologram of the Mily Way appears, zooming in. "here," she says. "Our station is there."

Carol takes a tricorder. "That's the Delta Rana system. That's what we call it."

"Everyone there get sick and die. We seal settlement, but sickness already reach home world. So many die. My hatchling who is female, the male who made her egg whole, both die."

"I'm sorry," says Dr. Marcus, reralizing what the Husnock meant.

" But not all die. Some go mad. They fight and kill. So much chaos at home."

"So what is important about these spacer rocks?" asks McCoy.

"Rare mineral lead to cure. We test on sick, they cure. We ship back home."

"We need a sample of this substance," says McCoy.

Ooooooooo

"The Husnock, eh," says Admiral Nensi Chandra. "Do you believe them about this plague on their world."

"I do, sir," replies Kirk, speaking into the communication console on his desk in the ready room.

"I must say I have misgivings about helping their operation. We never even heard of them until today."

"Admiral, there is a planet-sized object traveling at warp. That definitely is worth investigating."

Chandra holds up his chin. "Even if we were willing to risk using transwarp beaming to get a diplomat there, you are too far away from our nearest transwarp transporter. You will negotiate with the Husnock. We have to rely on our judgment, Captain Kirk."

"Once Drs. McCoy and Marcus return, we will intercept the object."

"Then do so. Starfleet Command out."

Oooooooooooo

"Drs. McCoy and Marcus have returned," says Chief Petty Officer Nils Pitcairn, speaking from the transporter room.

"Copy," says Kirk. He looks at Sulu. "Intercept the object."

"Yes, sir," says Sulu, pressing buttons on his console. "Traveling at Warp Four. ETA two hours."

"Bridge to engineering, keep a close eye on the instruments," says Kirk.

"Aye, captain," replies Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott.

The bridge keeps watch on everything as they approach closer and closer to the object, especially Lieutenant Sulu, who has to do the hard task and merging the warp bubbles.

"We are one minute from the object," says Sulu, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"All hands stand by," says Kirk.

"Intercepting," says Sulu. "Matching warp factor."

"Everything's okay down here," says Scott.

"Warp bubbles merging," says Sulu. "Perfect. We are traveling alongside at Warp Factor One."

"Systems are normal," says Scott.

"Captain, take a look," says Spock.

Kirk walks to the console and looks at a monitor, showing the results of the initial scan. \

"That's not a spaceship," says the captain. "That's a planet."

The viewscreen shows the outline of part of the object, a dark curved shape.

"We need a full scan of that planet," says Kirk. "We need to know how this thing got into warp."

"Something is hailing us," says Lieutenant Nyota Uhura.

"Identify yourself," Kirk hears a voice say.

"This is Captain Kirk of the Federation starship _Enterprise_," he says.

"What is your business here?' asks the voice.

"Well, we happened to notice a planet- a whole planet- traveling at warp speed," says Kirk. "we come in peace."

"We are the Zathori. This is our world."

Kirk realizes that the voice was not coming in through the bridge's speakers, but in his head. "you are telepathic."

"Correct."

"Then you must know we do not lie. We come in peace, and we need to ask you to divert your course."

"Explain."

"Your planet will pass through a star system in less than six days. These people, the Husnock, are mining asteroids there, and your passage will wreak havoc. We ask you to divert your course to avoid the system.

Everyone on the bridge breathes with nervousness.

"We will not pass through the system."

"Thank you."

"We will stop there and orbit its sun. It is our destination, our destination for almost thirty years. "

"Dr. Marcus, if they slow to orbit instead of passing through, will it pose a danger to the Husnocks?"

"Depends on their orbit," replies Marcus. "too close to the asteroids and they will be scattered out of the system."

"Listen," Kirk says to the Zathori, "the Husnock are trying to collect a cure for a plague killing their people. If you destroy that asteroid cluster, over a billion will die."

"And if we do not achieve orbit in that star system, our whole people and our whole planet will die. We will not stop, we will not change course. And we will destroy anyone or anything that gets in our way."


	3. Chapter 3

_Captain's Log, supplemental. We intercepted the object and discovered it was an entire planet. The inhabitants, the Zathori, were deliberately steering the planet to the star system where the Husnock asteroid base is located. They threatened to destroy anyone who tried to stop them, claiming it was their last chance at survival. They have agreed to meet with me down beneath the surface. Mr. Spock and I are beaming down there. _

Upon beaming down, the first thing Captain James Kirk notices is that his hosts' heads are shaped like squids.

"Never seen that before," he says.

"Fascinating," says Commander Spock. His Vulcan eyes notice that the Zathori are about the size of humans. Some of them dress in overalls and carry what appears to be rifles. Others are dressed in stiff robes.

"Follow us," one of the Zathori says.

_Or should I say thinksays, think Kirk. They are not speaking through their mouths. _

Kirk notices that their mouths are basically round, with shapr teeth, almost like a lamprey fish. Five tentacles frame their mouths. _I wonder what dental practice is like._

The two guests enter a wheeled vehicle, which drives along a road. Kirk notices they are traveling through a large cavernous spac e with buildings rising from the ground, some of them built against support columns. He can see more Zathori walking about.

The vehicle enters an underground space where other vehicles are stored- a parking garage.

"Step outside," thinksays their host.

Kirk and Spock keep a watchful eye on their surroundings. They pass other Zathori in various clothes. The captain tries to place the décor- it looks like a fusion of ancient Mayan, medieval Japan, and Victorian England.

They enter a room with round table and chairs surrounding it. Apparently the Zathori have the same design for conference rooms as humans. A Zathori in a decked-out robe ednters the room and the others pat it respect.

"I am Captain James Kirk of the Federation Starship _Enterprise_," says Kirk.

"I am the Lord of Lords of the Zathori," thinksays the alien.

"Listen, we humbly ask you reconsider your course of action," says the captain.

"Before we do so, understand where we are from…"

Kirk and Spock finds themselves no longer inside the conference room, but outdoors, looking at mountains in the distance.

_When we discovered how stars worked, we learned that ours would go supernova. We discovered the secret of warp drive, but even our preliminary sojourns outside our system did not find us a suitable world for relocation. As our sun changed, so did our climate. We had to build underground shelters where only some of us could survive. We had to sacrifice so many to be ravaged on the surface. _

Kirk sees construction equipment digging into the ground. Zathori troops ensured only a select few could enter the shelters.

_One hundred years ago, we began an ambitious plan. We would install warp drives all around the planet to create one giant warp drive. _They see what appears to be Zathori technicians working on a warp drive at least three times the size of the _Enterprise_. _Our destination was a star system thirty light years. Our last mission there proved the system to be devoid of people. By inserting our planet into the correct orbit, we could make the surface hospitable again. We could reclaim our surface, save our people. But it was easier said than done. We left just before the supernova. _

The two Starfleet officers find themselves back in the conference room. "You can read our minds, so we know that we did not fabricate the Husnocks' dilemma," says Spock.

"And yet they are not here for us to tell if they fabricated their dilemma," thinksays the Lord. "But you believed that we would pass through the system. Perhaps merely going into orbit will not affect their mining operation."

"And yet it might," says Kirk.

"We are willing to destroy anyone or anything that is in our way. But as of now, neither you nor the Husnock are in our way. We will send someone to meet with the Husnock at their station."

"Then I will like to stay here and know more about what you are doing," says Spock. "There may be a solution that will allow you to reclaim your world without destroying the Husnocks' chance for a cure."

"We know you have no ill intent," replies the Lord. "But we will keep our minds on you."

"Spock will need help," says Kirk. "I will have my chief engineer down here. I will take my ship to the station. We might be able to synthesize the cure without the asteroids."

Oooooooooo

"A warp planet?' asks Admiral Chandra, incredulously.

"Hard to believe, but yes," replies Kirk. "Spock and Scotty are down there, trying to figure out a way to keep the Husnock station from being destroyed. I also have McCoy and Marcus studying the cure, seeing if we could somehow synthesize it from other sources."

"And anything else, Captain?"

"We have contingency plans. If we can not synthesize the cure from other courses, and if we can not make sure the Zathori planet can arrive in its new home without threatening Hope Station."

"what?"

"We took scans of the planet, and are working on a plan to disable the warp drives."

"You will not do that," says Chandra. "That is an act of war. We will not allow captains discretion to initiate hostilities against aliens."

"The Husnock are in danger."

"Have you visited their world?"

"No, though we did speak with their officials over subspace. Translators are still having issues."

"So you have never been to their world, unlike the Zathori. You don't know if they are exaggerating and making it up."

"No, sir, I don't."

The job of the captain is to follow the orders of the fleet. If the fleet orders you to attack the Zathori, you attack the Zathori. If the fleet orders you to attack the Husnock, you attack the Husnock. Otherwise, you do not fire until they fire at you, and even so, only to escape. And if they fight each other, you do not get in the way unless we order it. Understood, Captain Kirk?"

"Yes, sir, Admiral Chandra."

Oooooo

Kippolo sits in its cabin, pondering the events. It remembers the news that the world entered warp without shaking itself apart. It remembers the long hous at warp control, making sure the world stayed on course towards their new home.

And now it is on board an alien ship. The Zathori knew of the existence of aliens via examinations of subspace radio. But now it is aboard this ship, this _Enterprise_. It saw aliens in person.

Kippolo had been able to learn about its hosts. They are from this interstellar polity known as the United Federation of Planets; member worlds included Earth and Andoria and Denobula. _Enterprise_ was in its second year of a five year mission to explore space.

The door opens, a a large bipedal creature- called a _human_\- enters.

"Excuse me, Mr. Zathori sir," says Lieutenant Hendorff, the chiefh of security, I am to escort you to the lab."

"Lead the way," says Kippolo. The Starfleet lieutenant leads it through various, brightly-lit corridors. It noctices Starfkleet personnel walking about. They enter a lift and walk along another corridor.

Soon they enter a room with various instruments and devices. Two humans clad in blue are inaside. One had short, very light hair, the color of a yellow sun. The other had even shorter brown hair. With the two humans are two reptiloid people, one in a white outfit, the other in a green outfit.

"Dr. Leonard McCoy, chief medical Officer of the enterprise," says the brown-haired human.

"Call me Kasel," says the reptiloid. "Director of Hope Station, Husnock Nation."

"I am Kippolo," the Zathori thinksays to them all. "the Lord of Lords of the Zathori has sent me to meet with the Husnock and their Federation friends. Let me show you the trials of my people."

It does, broadcasting the thoughts and feelings of the Zathori who are on the edge of extinction.

And then Kippolo receives images on its own.

_Several reptiloids- Husnocks- watch over bodies draped with cloths. _

_A mass grave, lit on fire, in an effort to stop disease._

_Some of the Husnock, driven insane by the disease, doing violence._

_Police officers trying to contain the massive civil unrest. _

_Panic across an entire world. _

"You tell the truth," thinksays Kippolo. "There must be a way."

"We will find a way," says Kasel.

Oooooooo

"This allows us to calculate the trajectory," thinksays the Zathori known as Glue.

Spock and Scotty had been introduced to the alien, who is the head navigator for the planet. Glue is dressed in blue overalls and a cap.

The two Starfleet officers see the inbound trajectory of the planet, entering into orbit.

"As you can see," thinksays Glue, "the planet will drop out of warp and orbit in a clockwise direction. At that orbit, our scientists calculate that the sunlight received willgenerate a climate suitable for our life."

"And what happens to da asteroids?' asks Scotty.

Glue pushes some buttons. Spock and Scotty see the asteroids knocked out of orbit and flying past escape velocity outside the star system. "When objects drop out of warp, they emit gravitational waves. For a starship like your _Enterprise_, it will be barely noticed."

"Ah can feel when she drops outa warp, laddie," says Scotty.

"But for a planet, the waves will knock the asteroids out. Certainly the Husnock station will be destroyed."

"Then it appears we need to find another trajectory," says Spock. "One that will maintain the same distance, but minimizing the effect on the asteroids."

"Like trying to orbit perpendicular to the plane?" asks Scotty.

"Let us work," thinksays Glue.

Ooooooooo

"I think I have it," says Dr. Marcus.

"This good," says Kasel. "If you show us how to make, we no need space rocks."

"You got that right," says McCoy.

Marcus mixes some chemicals together, based upon the analysis of the minerals mined from the asteroids. "Let's put it through the molecular analyzer," she says.

The scientist places the newly created chemical inside the device. Sher presses a button and some indicator lights turn on and messages appear on an LCD screen. It projects a holographic image of the molecule.

"It looks like we did it!" yells McCoy. "we can make it without the space rocks. "Let's evacuate the station."

"No," says Kasel. "Molecule is flipped. It wrong direction. We need more work."

Oooooooooo

"And so the planet is destroyed…again," thinksays Glue.

"Every time we try, either the planet is destroyed, the asteroid is destroyed, or both," says Spock.

"We cannae give up," says Scotty. "Everyone dependin' on us."

Ooooooooooo

_Captain's log, we've managed to faciliatate communication between the Husnock and the Zathori. Buit the Zathori insist that they must enter the orbit that they planned. The Husnock sent a convoy of miners, but given their maximum warp speed, they will only have a day to mine the material necessary for the cure. In the meantime, we decided to the Zathori a different point of view. _

"Please hear me out," Kasel says to the Lord of Lords and its senior advisors and officials. "so many of us have already died from this plague. "That asteroid field is our only hope."

She had seen aliens before, though none quite like the Zathori, with the tentacles around their jawless, toothy mouths.

"You tell the truth, Kasel of Husnock," says the Zathori Lord. "You grieve for your child and your husband. And I will think, if I could sacrifice my life to save billions of your people, I would not hesistate."

"Thank you."

"I can not sacrifice my _people_. Hear _all_ of us out."

Kasel suddenly receives images of the struggle of the Zathori. She screams out, and then sits down, emotionally exhausted.

"That star system is _our_ only hope."


	4. Chapter 4

"Based upon these readings, a few photon torpedoes here can knock out the warp core, taking the planet out of warp," says Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu.

"Thank you," replies Captain James Kirk, looking at the monitor screen inside the conference room showing the presentation.

"Are we really doing this?" asks the helmsman.

"All options are on the table, Sulu."

"They've done nothing wrong. They started their course thirty years ago. That station probably wasn't even there yet. They couldn't have known at the time."

"Have you ever been ordered to do what you did not want to do?"

"Ever since my first day as a cadet, sir."

"Sulu, I don't _want_ to do this. But being captain, I had to do things I didn't like _on my own initiative, _not just because I got an order from headquarters .Now I face this dilemma. Do I allow up to billions of Husnock die, or do I let a whole world die?"

"I am beginning to wish I never heard that hail," says Sulu. "We should have continued to Delta Rana as we planned."

"From what I heard, the Husnock had a colony there on the fourth planet," says Kirk. "That's where the plague started. Maybe if we went there, we would have landed there, caught the disease, and then killed all of us here, or even worse, brought it back to Earth."

"We still have four days to figure this out. If I may suggest, let's just concentrate on how things are now, sir."

Ooooooooo

Spock and Scotty take a breather. There is a recreational room inside the complex. Several of the Zathori are known to play hard,. Some run on treadmills, others lift weights, others spin balls around and release them, and others use a paddle to hit a ball against a wall, sort of like tennis.

"I need to start a serious workout," says Scotty.

"Now that our minds our cleared, we should get to work," says Spock.

They walk into a small room that serves as Glue's office.

"Any insights?" thinkasks the Zathori. "I ran several different scenarios."

"Why are we trying to go to this particular star system?" asks Spock. "Can we not divert to another star system and achieve a similar orbit?"

"Our scientists spent decades figuring out the best star system."

"They may have overlooked one, laddie," says Scotty.

"Let's get to work." Glue turns on a desktop computer.

Ooooooooo

Dr. McCoy is back on Hope station, as most of the research data is located there. With him is Dr. Carol Marcus, with Director Kasel overseeing the Starfleet officers.

"If we can not recreate the cure exactly, maybe we could do some end run around it," says the doctor. "The pure stuff is not the cure; it is simply an ingredient. If we can find out how the cure cures…"

"Let us do it," says Kasel.

Oooooooooo

"Not again," says Glue, looking at the monitor screen of its computer. "Every time we plot a course to another star to orbit at the right distance, the turn from our present course is so shapr it shatters the planet."

"Let's try again' says Scotty.

Oooooooooooo

"We did it!" yells Marcus in excitement. She looks around at the Husnock research staff. "It suppresses the disease, allowing the Husbnock immune system to take over."

"Excellent work, Dr. Marcus," says McCoy.

"Let us see other effect," says Kasel.

Ooooooooo

"Here is a trajectory leading us to an empty system that won't break the planet," thinksays Glue.

"And?"

"It is one hundred fifty light years away, and we will run out of food."

"So increase the warp factor," suggests Scotty.

"We can not risk it. Warp One is the fastest safe speed."

Oooooooo

"There is side effect," says one of the researchers. "Other cure also destroy immune system. Husnock get sick from everything."

_Damn_, thinks McCoy.

ooooooooo

"So you're willing to wage war?" asks Kirk.

"Millions of my people sick and die," says the Husnock Primarch, dressed in regal attire. "If they destroy my people's hope, we will attack them. They die if they go surface. We make them stay under."

"Your station was not even there when we began," protests the Zathori Lord.

"You should have change course."

"And you should not have brought that disease from that planet. You brought it upon yourselves! Your suffering could have been avoided!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," says Kirk. "We have two days left."

"And you Federation people fail in past four days."

"I agree with the Primarch here," says the Zathori ruler. "You could have saved yourself trouble by avoiding us."

Ooooooooooo

_Captain's log. Work continues on both ends, but to no avail. Simulations on trying to increase the warp factor results in the Zathori planet being destroyed. Steering the planet to another star system is predicted to do the same thing. On the cure itself, using chemical substitutes for the asteroid mineral does not work. The cure either comes out wrong, or it degrades, or it poisons the Husnock, or does all three. The only know way to make the cure involves the mineral found only in those asteroids. And there is no time to find an alternate source. _

_Both teams express frustration, like a riddle whose meaning does not make sense. Exceopt that a failure to answer can be devastating. _

_In the meantime, the Husnock transports arrived to bring a workforce of miners to mine as much as they can and bring home before the planet arrives the next day. _

_Oooooo_

"I can see they are busy," says Dr. Carol Marcus, looking out through a window.

Through an observation window, she can see miners in spacesuits among the space rocks. Runabouts move about, transporting the rocks. The stations transports hum.

"If Spock and Scotty can't divert the planet, we leave in eighteen hours," says Dr. Leonard McCoy, looking at his watch.

They walk into the lab where Kasel and the other white-clad researchers work.

"At least you can cure as many of your people as possible," says Marcus.

"No, Carol Marcus," replies Kasel. Based on speed of work, we only heal three thousand. Two billion still die. No time to get enough cure to heal all.

Marcus can feel Kasel's despair. She had dedicated her life to healing. To feel so powerless…

Ooooooooooo

Spock, Scotty, and Glue also feel this sense of powerlessness.

"No matter what we do, we keep destroyin' the planet," says Scotty, exasperated over running so many scenarios.

"I do feel the frustration, Commander Scott," says the Vulcan.

"Perhaps working the muscles will refresh your mind," says Glue.

The Vulcan, the human, and the Zathori walk along the corridor to the rec room. Spock gets on a treadmill, not even bothering to get into workout clothes. Scotty walks to a rack with rubber balls tied to ropes. After seeing another Zathiori fling it towards the wall, he follows suit, taking one of the ropes and rotating the ball in a clockwise direction.

"it is better if you rotate it the other way," says Glue.

"Oh thank ye, laddie," says Scotty as he rotates the ball counterclockwise.

Then an idea comes to him.

"Eureka!" yells the engineer. "We gotta get to yer office. We need to try somethin'!"

Spock sees Scotty run off. He runs off after him.

"What are we doing?" asks Glue. "Can you plot a course to a habitable zone in another star system without tearing the planet apart?"

"We're actually going to the same star system you've been headin' to," says Scotty. "Just ina different direction!"

"Explain, Mr. Scott," says Spock.

"In yer original trajectory, ye rotate clockwise, just like the asteroid field," says Scotty. "The wake of yer droppin' our of warp drags the asteroids in the same direction as the planet, givin;' enough force to blast it outa the star system. But if ye go in the opposite direction…"

"Let me try the simulation," says Glue. It enters new figures into the computer. Images on the monitor screen move and wavy symbols in the corner rapidly change. "You are right, Scotty! The asteroids will stay in the system,. It will get rough, but the asteroids will still be there."

"So we should inform your leaders of this solution," says Spock. "Have others double check it to make sure."

"No time," thinksays Glue. "Our window of opportunity is short. We have five minutes."

"Ye got to be kid..," starts Scotty. "Let's hurry!"

Minutes later, Glue bursts into the planetary warp master navigational room. The operators looks at him.

"Sir?" one of them asks.

"Let me take over."

Glue presses buttons and flips switches on the main control console. An image of the trajectory appears on the screen. The current trajectory shows the planet entering into a clockwise orbit. Seconds later, the trajectory is altered, with the planet rotating counterclockwise around the star, but at the same distance.

The room shakes as the warp field changes. Everyone in the room hopes that the room- and the plan et- stays in one piece. The shaking gets hard, and everyone inside gets nervous. Unsecure objects fall on the floor.

And then the shaking stops.

"Course has changed," thinksays an operator. "We are at our new trajctory ariund the target star."

"And it is the same distance as the original trajectory," thinksays another operator.

"Thnak you, Montgomery Scott," thinksays Glue. "But it is not over."

"What?" asks Scotty.

"The asteroid filed will not be destroyed, but the station and the nearby ships are still in danger. There are two hours left to get everyone clear."

Ooooooooo

Upon receipt of the message from the approaching planet, the station is evacuated. Workers are transported onto the Husnock ships. The precious ore is beamed into the cargo holds of the giant cargo carriers.

Kasel stays inside a control room.

"Ma'am, we have to go," a researcher says to her.

"Not until the others left," replies the lead researcher.

"There is still ore left in storage," says a worker.

"Any cargo ships available?" asks Kasel. The station starts shaking, she figures the planet is approaching its final destination.

"This is the _Enterprise_," says Captain Kirk. "We are beaming the ore aboard."

Seconds later, Kasel is beamed aboard. The Husnock looks and sees the transporter room, with humans welcoming her.

"Let's take you to safety, ma'am," says a crewman.

Ob board the bridge, red alert is on.

"Sulu, get us out of here now!" yells the captain.

"On our way, sir!" yells Lieutenant Sulu just as he pushes a lever.

Ooooooooo

The planet drops out of warp, in counterclockwise orbit around the yellow star, emitting massive gravitational radiation. Some of it reaches the asteroid field and the asteroid collide with each other, breaking off pieces. A large piece of rock directly strikes the asteroid base, reducing it to a twisted pile of metal alloy. Further away, some of the waves hit the _Enterprise_, knocking it and its passengers, crew, and cargo about. Various alarms blare inside the starship. After a few seconds, it achieves stable orbit.

"Engineering, damage report," says Kirk.

"We're a little shaken, but the engines are okay," says an engineering officer.

Ooooooooo

_Captain's log. The Zathori planet arrived in orbit at the desired distance from its target planet, just in the opposite direction. While the climate has yet to be assessed, the Zathori can now go to the surface and survive without spacesuits._

_The Husnock Hope Station was lost, but all personnel were successfully evacuated. The asteroids were knocked into an orbit that would cause them to spiral into the star- in about four hundred fifty years- giving them enough time to resume and finish mining operations. _

_In the meantime, we retrieved some of the ore used for the cure and we traveled to the Husnock homeworld to drop it off. And there was one more thing we did while we were in orbit._

"We are ready," says Lieutenant Uhura.

"Connect them," says Captain Kirk.

The Husnock Primarch appears on the left side of the bridge viewscreen.

On the right is the Federation President.

"On behalf of Husnock, I, the Primarch, thank you and your Federation," says the Husnock Primarch. "You might save billions of my people. We wish to start intercourse with your people."

The eyes of everyone on the bridge widen.

"Understood," says the Federation President, understanding what his Husnock counterpart meant.

"From now on, the Federation ships of stars may travel in peace through our realm," says the Husnock Primarch. "And I say to Captain James Kirk and the crew, in one hundred years, the hatchlings of our hatchlings will still know _Enterprise _and what it did for our people_._ May we aspire to be hero like your crew.


End file.
